Friday, April 13, 2012

With Conferences this upcoming weekend, it’s important to look back and reflect on the season Monium has had already and how far they have come as a team. I remember last year when I played for Iowa State and our first game was against UNI Monium. They were eager to play with their line of 7 girls, some which had never played in a tournament before. Fighting the wind, they were able to stay positive and teach the newer girls how to play the game. It’s great to see the Conference grow and I’m lucky to be a part of Monium’s growth as they make their second Conference appearance.

Since last year, the ladies have made leaps and bounds towards expanding the program. The team has gone from 14 or 15 girls in the fall to a committed core of 11 girls ready to compete at Conferences this weekend. This spring season, the team went to a regional indoor scrimmage, Midwest Throwdown and the Chicago Invite.

On March 3rd and 4th, Monium travelled to St. Louis for their first Midwest Throwdown. Not only was this their first visit, but also their first spring tournament, like most other teams present. With a team of 11, the girls had only 3 returning players and 8 new to the team this fall. Monium was anxious to get out of the dome and play outdoor ultimate. Northern Iowa made many improvements over the weekend and ended up 3-3, with a strong Sunday finish.

Although I wasn’t present at the Chicago Invite on March 31st and April 1st, I know from how many girls they had that they played with a lot of heart. With only 6 at the end of the day on Saturday, they finished the tournament strong with a 3-4 record.

Tomorrow is the start of the USA Ultimate series with Western North Central Conferences taking place in Cedar Falls, IA. Here's the link for the tournament information or the Saturday schedule:

UNI Women’s Game Schedule Saturday April 14

8:30 Winona State

12:30 Iowa-B

2:30 Iowa State

4:30 Minnesota

So, if you are going to be around Cedar Falls this weekend, April 14-15, you’re going to want to come to the fields behind the WRC and check out some great ultimate! Come cheer Monium on as they play for a bid to Regionals!